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Eriksen finished it off with a third, leaving the Blues to start an inquest which had very different viewpoints.

Mancini, who had tinkered with his formation and tactics throughout, blamed the “attitude” of his players.

But Micah Richards claimed that the manager's switch between three and five at the back has caused confusion in the ranks.

“I think the players prefer a 4-4-2 but he's the manager and we'll do what he says,” said the defender, not convincing anyone that the gaffer still had the backing of the dressing room.

That damaging reverse at the Amsterdam ArenA virtually ended the Blues' hopes of getting out of the group – and they eventually finished bottom, not even reaching the Europa League, after losing all three away games and drawing their three at home.

Manchester City defender Micah Richards

And, while that contributed to Mancini's demise at the end of the season, it also marked the nadir of City's European gloom.

The squad learned the lesson, and Manuel Pellegrini benefited – the following season they won all three of their away games in the group, including a bold 3-2 win at Bayern Munich.

Under Pellegrini, City had a very good away record in the group stages, losing just two out of six and racking up landmark wins at Roma and Sevilla.

That record was wrecked in Guardiola's first season in charge as the Blues, learning to cope with the manager's new-fangled ways, played well for 45 minutes at Barcelona before crashing 4-0, and then drawing at Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach.